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Pack Totem Creation
Updated 1/17/11 In order to receive gifts and other bonuses bestowed by a totem, a totem sheet must be submitted to imc.dusk@gmail.com. Please note that creation rules have changed and are being retroactively applied to older pack totems. All pack totems will need to be updated accordingly. To simplify totems for online play, all pack totems cost 6 totem dots. A pack must have two core members. Every core member of a pack must have two dots of totem. Fera and kinfolk (excluding mages) *can* be considered a member of a pack (either permanently or temporarily) if they undergo an applicable special rite and with ST permission. Any character's totem background cannot exceed 5 for their core pack; they can, however, undergo a special rite and be eligible for auxiliary membership in a second, allied pack.. Auxiliary members are not able to access anything except the core benefits listed below. Most kinfolk are auxiliary members. Exceptions will be made, depending on the "feel" of the kinfolk/totem relationship. Core Benefits All members of a pack will have the following benefits provided by their totem. If they leave the pack or are temporarily repudiated by their totem, they lose them. Core benefits include: Totem is connected mystically to all pack members, allowing mental communication among them even at great distances (up to 60 miles). Totem is able to communicate mentally to every pack member, even those without spirit speak. All other abilities that specific totems provide in source books must be purchased individually with extra totem points. They are not granted automatically in Dusk and rather than being given on a in-turn basis (WtA 3rd ed pg. 294), every pack member (including Fera and kinfolk) receive them for as long as they are members of the pack. Totem benefits to attributes & abilities can be +1, +2, or even +3 but characters who already have a 5 in those attribute or abilities must pick *one* attribute/ability which can by raised by 1 to 6 for that character. Characters who have their attributes/abilities bought up to 5 with XP are likewise capped so that no WtA character is getting more that 1 attribute/ability raised to a 6 by a totem. Loss/Gain Of Members As a rule of thumb, the more members that belong to a pack, the more powerful the totem will be. New members add new totem points which can be invested into the totem for additional benefits for the spirit and the pack. These additions do not have to be per-approved by ST; please include them on totem sheet, however, with date of addition included in notes. Likewise, when members leave a pack, those totem dots are lost and either the totem be diminished (something deducted from its totem point purchases) or other members need to buy additional totem points-- in-character, this should be reflected with special rituals or chiminage to totem of pack members trying to build deeper connection to totem. Please update totems every month to reflect gain/loss of pack members. Building A Totem Before starting to build a pack totem, determine the founding members of the pack and tally together their total totem background points. The pack must have at least 6 combined totem points to cover the core cost. Extra points can be spent on additional traits, gifts/charms and other abilities for the totem which should be in the flavor (but don't need to be exact matches) of totem descriptions from source books. Pick a Totem There are totem lists available here and here Totem concepts do not have to come from a book. They can be any incarnae from a source book or any animal, mythical creature, element, or concept that players would like to turn into an incarnae. Name Your Totem Rather than calling your totem "Owl" or "Badger" pick a name for it. For example, the Grail & Grove pack totem is Gwdihŵ Wings-of-Annwn. Totem Details *Name of pack that totem is pacting with (write down individual members and their totem # in notes) *Record Incarna and/or Brood for pack totem if applicable (Typhon is part of Grandfather Thunder's brood as example) *Record Type (Cunning, Respect, War, Wisdom - Defiler, Devourer, Beast of War for Wyrm pack totem) *Record starting Gnosis, Rage, Willpower. Totems start with 7 dots to divide between them. *Record starting Essence of 20 *Pack Totems begin with the Charms Airt Sense and Reform at no additional cost. Chiminage & Pact Terms In WtA books, totems list under traits what they normally provide to the pack as part of the pact and may include other details regarding chiminage. In addition, players are encouraged to personalize the pact with extra details about chiminage and terms, including the purpose of the pact and how long the totem and pack intend for the pact to last. The powers (gifts, abilities, and renown) lent to a pack by its totem should be customized in a fair and balanced way. Examples of pack totems including currently approved pack totems can be found here. Personality Each pack totem has its own personality that is an amalgamation of the Incarna's nature, the circumstances of the pack being formed, and the natures and personalities of the Gar about to get its patronage. This might be tricky to create without play testing, but at the very least give a few descriptive words and then over time, build from there. Pack totems are generally aloof from the pack and of minor influence within the local community of spirits unless a special relationship is purchased. Description This is a physical description of what the spirit looks like in the umbra. If your totem is a fox spirit, think about details that would make this spirit unique and identifiable from all the other fox spirits. Spiritual Correspondences These are concepts, ideas, symbols, spirit broods, etc., tribes, realms that have a resonance to the totem. For example, a Falcon totem would have respect, leadership, superiority, freedom, power, Silver Fangs, among its spiritual correspondences. Material Correspondences These are material items that can be used in rituals and chiminage to the totem. For example, a Falcon totem might have the material correspondences of falcon feathers, pictures of falcons, a feathered cloak, mask, a necklace of falcon talons. Gifts & Abilities Taught Totems do not teach Garou spirit charms but they do teach gifts and other abilities. A lion pack totem would be able to teach gifts listed in books as being taught by lion spirits or cat spirits or animal spirits for example. Any gift or ability listed specifically in a totem's book description is something that can be added here automatically and spirit can use that gift/ability itself as well. Spirits that grant their packs stealth according to the book description, for example, can have stealth 5 added to their sheet for free. In order for spirit to possess and teach other gifts or abilities that are applicable for a spirit of its nature but not listed specifically in the totem's original text description, they have to be bought with extra totem points. Spirit Speech however is a gift that all totems can teach to pack members or others. Freebies & XP As of 1/13/11, pack totems are no longer eligible for freebie points and XP earned by them translates into player XP for whoever plays their handle. However, the totem points invested by auxiliary members can be used invested like other totem points into the totem even for things that do not directly benefit auxiliary members. A pack can have an unlimited number of auxiliary members, who only gain the core benefits (pack link, totem can communicate to them). Spirit Abilities & Costs Materialized Spirits The Materialize charm allows totems to materialize and affect the physical world so long as their Gnosis equals or exceeds the Gauntlet for that area. Caerns (and bawns) are the most likely place for totems to materialize. When a spirit materializes, it must spend Essence to create a physical shape and give itself physical traits. However, a spirit sill rolls its gnosis for social or mental activities. innate abilities add extra dice to applicable roles and do not have to be repurchased while manifested. For example, a spirit with Investigation 3 rolls gnosis+ 3 to make investigation rolls. It does not need to repurchase while manifested. The Essence costs for creating physical traits are below. Category:werewolf Category:totem Category:creation Category:rules Category:werewolf Category:totem Category:creation Category:rules Category:Totems